Reminder: Member applications & verification ongoing

[Elaine Almquist]

Hi everyone,

As we shared at the January meeting, the DSNC is actively recruiting members, and ensuring we have a consistent and clear list of voting members. All of the people who have applied and been verified so far--you should have just received an email confirmation of voting membership.

If you haven't already, please apply to be a member: https://www.davissquarenc.org/membership

You'll need to go through our verification process, and you can do that at the following ways:

• In-person office hours TODAY Thursday March 19th from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm at Davis Squared, 409 Highland Ave.
• Open online office hours for verification are Friday March 20th from 10:00 am to 11:00 am on Zoom.
• In-person verification before the Monday, February 23rd meeting at the Rockwell starting at 5:30 pm, and after at Foundry on Elm with the board members present.
• Email the board at dsnc-bo...@googlegroups.com to schedule a different time or location for verification.

Check the list of accepted documents for verification here so you know what to show.

Best,

Elaine

Elaine F. Almquist

(she/her/hers)

BlueSky @EAlmquist  Instagram: @EFAlmquist
Phone: 978.375.2448

[Ron Newman]

Could we just use the city’s voter registration list for automatic verification?  That seems much simpler and ensures maximum participation with minimal roadblocks.

[Jeff Byrnes]

Unsure of the legalities there, but also, the City’s voter rolls only cover citizens who live in Somerville. DSNC eligibility is much broader than that.

-- 
Jeff Byrnes
he/him

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On Feb 19, 2026 at 11:05 AM -0500, 'Ron Newman' via Davis Square Neighborhood Council <daviss...@googlegroups.com>, wrote:

Could we just use the city’s voter registration list for automatic verification?  That seems much simpler and ensures maximum participation with minimal roadblocks.

--
Davis Square Neighborhood Council · https://DavisSquareNC.org · https://linktr.ee/DavisSquareNC
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[Beth Kevles]

Do the DSNC rules stipulate that you must be a citizen, as distinct from a resident, to vote? Also, does it stipulate Somerville specifically, or are Cambridge residents also eligible.

Curious,

--Beth Kevles

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/davissquarenc/d394af16-2d90-466f-a6f4-d29db75e2d69%40Spark.

[Christopher Beland]

The current DSNC bylaws do not restrict voting to US citizens. You can read the full criteria here, in Section 3.1:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/15NsQqsf1bap_gz6UFQvLIb8YYpChMM0rvizbuThpYDY/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.bbe3hn6f2udy

It is not necessary to be a Somerville resident to be a voting DSNC member. Residents of parts of Cambridge, Medford, and a small slice of Arlington are within the outer 1/2-mile boundary that defines eligibility based on residency. Residents of East Somerville are outside this boundary and are not eligible to be voting members unless they have another connection to Davis Square. You can see that as the outer red zone on the map here:

https://map.davissquarenc.org/

People who own businesses or land, are an employee, or receive social services in the inner blue boundary, or are given "genuine local interest" status approved by the DSNC Board, also do not need to be Somerville residents.

-B.

[Frank Mals]

@ron that's a smart idea if it's allowable.  There could be two lines, one for registered voters and one for non-registered voters.  The line for registered voters would be longer but would move faster.  

[Louisa Stephens Bissett]

Good morning,

If you happen to be reading this in the next half hour (before 11 am) and want to become a verified DSNC member, I am currently holding Zoom office hours.

Step 1 - fill out the member registration form here: https://www.davissquarenc.org/membership

Step 2 - sign into Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84900792456?pwd=pCwNAympbqMORd3AP9JYkXhnJDXuI0.1&jst=2

Step 3 - hold an ID/document from this list up to the camera: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11JcGto33eYr0HY2pqbmca-5Io18T4I1_9GW4UeTp5NA/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.ufrqfr463w5v

As we work to verify more members, we will hold additional verification opportunities. This includes immediately prior to Monday's membership meeting.

Best,

Louisa

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[Denise Provost]

The city's voter list is a public records, available to anyone who asks.

The names of those under 18 are redacted, also public safety works.

Denise

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.

[Elaine Almquist]

I have the voter file and I will try to verify as many people as I can that way, but there are many in the list who will not be in the voter list, so we still strongly encourage people to bring their verification to the meeting on Monday or schedule an appointment.

Best,

Elaine

Elaine F. Almquist

(she/her/hers)

BlueSky @EAlmquist  Instagram: @EFAlmquist
Phone: 978.375.2448

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/davissquarenc/976822937.520498.1771608273470%40mail.yahoo.com.

[Colin McMillen]

If we already voted in the Board elections a few months ago, is there a need to re-verify?

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[Ashish Shrestha]

Given the likelihood of another large storm before a major DSNC meeting (the weather gods really seem to hate us!) is there a plan to have remote verification prior to Monday's meeting as well?  Same as we're doing in-person verification at the start of the meeting?